Brian Kibet wins the IYPH 2020 youth essay competition
Brian Kibet, a student at the Faculty of Law, University of Nairobi, won the International Year of Plant Health, IYPH, 2020 essay writing competition at the 3rd Phytosanitary Conference. The competition which was organized by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, KEPHIS, ran from the 13th to 16th September 2021 drawing participation from the University of Nairobi, Egerton University, University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, University of Eldoret, KCA University, JKUAT, Meru University of Agriculture and Technology, Technical University of Kenya, Machakos University, Presbyterian University of East Africa, Riara University and Mount Kenya University.
IYPH 2020 provides a platform for national, regional, and global plant health organizations to raise awareness of the importance and positive impacts of plant health in addressing issues of global importance including hunger, poverty, threats to the environment and economic development. These plant health organizations engage various stakeholders including academia in an essay writing competition as part of the activities targeting students in a bid to enhance understanding of the importance of plant health.
The essay writing competition focused on six thematic areas: emerging pests and diseases, climate change and effects on the food production, phytosanitary and market access, food security, and the Big Four Agenda, adopted use of certified seeds for food security and devolution and plant health.
Brian Kibet’s essay titled “Crop Diversification; The Panacea to a Food Secure Nation” provides the valuable insight necessary in sparking dialogue on food security in Kenya and thus addressing the goals of IYPH 2020. Kibet believes that food security in Kenya is attainable.
